2016 Tasmania Deep Ecology Yatra

I am moss
I dwell in moistnessAnd contain worlds within my forest
A thousand thousand insects have their home here.
I harbour seedlings and baby grasses.
What I have to say to the two-legged ones is this:
Colonise the world if you must
We’ve been colonising it for hundreds and hundreds of millions of years.
We’re everywhere, you know
On beaches and boulders and buildings.
But be careful how you do it.
We protect and create living space for all beings
As we grow.
In softness there is strength
We cushion every footfall
Moistly yielding to the touch.
But give us time
And the acid in our soil will split the granite asunder
And break up your concrete.
Be patient, what’s the rush?
Learn to give in your receiving.
Stay a while in our moss forest world
We love your quiet attention
Not your noisy fumes and hard surfaces.
Stay a while.
We’d hate for you to leave
Before you even get to know us.